Silver Alert system crucial tool for locating missing, elderly, ill

Rich Scinto

Published 12:00 am, Saturday, March 23, 2013

NEW HAVEN -- Connecticut's Silver Alert has become a powerful tool for police to get the word out quickly about missing persons.

The Silver Alert is a step below an Amber Alert, which has more specific criteria. Silver Alerts are used for anyone reported missing that is younger than 18 years old, older than 65 or anyone that is reported to have a medical condition that needs immediate attention, said Lt. J. Paul Vance, state police spokesman.

The key to a Silver Alert is that it doesn't allow missing persons to fall through the cracks, he said.

"A Silver Alert basically says, 'Hey, someone says that you're acting out of character and you're missing,'" he said.

It has become another tool for police to locate missing persons, he said. Sometimes, missing persons aren't in danger and are in their right mind.

Connecticut became the 16th state to establish a Silver Alert system when former Gov. M. Jodi Rell signed a Senate bill into law, according to the state Department on Aging website. Police in Connecticut are mandated by statute to put out Silver Alerts for those that meet the criteria.

Local law enforcement forward information and possibly photographs of the missing person to state police, who issue the alert. State police also can gather the initial information. An alert is drafted and sent out to the public.

Law enforcement has ramped up its use of the powerful tool, Vance said.

"Initially, it wasn't used as much," he said. "Now, it's used so we can do everything. ... We can use it to find the elderly and those in need of assistance."

There were 129 Silver Alerts issued in the state between Jan. 1 and March 21.

"There are less than a dozen that haven't been rectified," he said. "It shows the system is working."

Numbers of Silver Alerts issued in previous years were not readily available last week.

The Silver Alert system has become an important tool for New Haven police, said police spokesman Officer David Hartman. There was at least one case in New Haven in which a person discovered they had been reported missing because of the system.

Those who don't meet the criteria of a Silver Alert or Amber Alert are listed as missing and police will investigate, Vance said.

State Sen. Toni N. Harp and Rep. Toni Walker, both D-New Haven, introduced legislation that would limit the amount of information that is released on missing elderly persons and those with mental disabilities. There also are related bills being considered in the General Assembly.